I was sitting at my computer when I realized that the date was February 29th, Leap Day, and I thought that I should have a cigar since my next chance to have one on a leap day would not be for another four years. I looked in my humidor and realized that I wasn’t in the mood for anything I currently have so I quickly ran down to my local tobacconist before closing time to choose out a leap day cigar. The cigar I chose was the Arturo Fuente Rothschild.

Appearance : The Rothschild had a dark brown oily wrapper with a semi-pungent smell to it. The veins were nice and thin and there were no cuts in the wrapper. The cap was well applied and only a tiny sort of bump above the band seemed out of place.

Construction : The construction was solid. The wrapper was thick which helped prevent any potential breaks and at the foot it was completely intact. The filler however was slightly uneven. It cut well, lit up easy and had a very smooth draw with plenty of smoke. The burn was even throughout the entire smoking session however the ash was not the strongest – requiring ashing about every half inch.

Flavor : The cold draw revealed dark chocolate, cocoa and coffee bean. Immediately after lighting the cigar had grassy, woddy flavours. Soon after lighting it was accompanied by some cocoa and a sweet finish. After about halfway in, the flavour picked up with more coffee bean and chocolate however a spark of the grassy character remained. I was impressed with the complexity of a rather short smoke and as it began to burn down it was more bitter and earthy but still pleasant. Medium bodied, the Rothschild has complex flavour without being too powerful.

Value : The Rothschild is a good value for the cigar. In my reviews I try to include prices from two areas to help people have a better reference of what the price may be for them. I was expecting less from the cigar so I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I purchased this as a single and for an everyday cigar it is out of my price range but for a treat it is definitely a fair price.

Overall Rating : The Arturo Fuente Rothschild is a nice cigar that would be good any time of the leap day. It has balance and complexity – I smoked this one until my knuckles nearly burned off. The price is fair and I really like the format. I was lucky enough to get the last one from the shop and I sure am happy I did. For a leap day smoke it definitely impressed. I just hope I don’t have to wait 4 more years for another.